Where Were the Flags?

FrontPageMagazine.com | May 31, 2002 | Marc Rotterman

[LavaDog]

Sometimes I get so sick and tired of the apathy in this country. Talk about a nation of people who take their good fortune for granted. Everyone was too busy going to their Memorial Day sales to put up a flag. A vast majority were too busy to give up 1 minute of rememberance for the true heroes who protect our freedoms by giving the ultimate sacrifice.

[The Mayor]

My flag was up before 9-11, it is up now and will remain up as long as I live.

[tell me]

Our flag was flying and Memorial Day was all about our town's little 20 minute parade honoring our veterans, living and deceased. I guess it depends on where you live.

[Steve0113]

Where Were the Flags?

Our flag's mounting bracket pulled out of the front porch post, which has to be replaced before the flag can go up again. Not everyone is apathetic.

[Marobe]

Glad to announce plenty of flags in NW-Ct ! We flew them before 9-11 and contiune to do so daily ! "apathy IS alive and well in America !" Just the way the left & right globalists want it. God bless America !

[Teacher317]

My flag was up before 9-11, it is up now and will remain up as long as I live.

Good for you. Me, too. I also had and have the Culpepper Minutemen's flag and the Fort Bennington flag hanging in the garage.

. . .

[Jay W]

Sadly, Memorial Day has morphed from a day memorializing our country's fallen heroes to a 3-day bacchanalian fest of cookouts, short trips to the beach or lake and other pursuits of pleasure.

But hey, this is America now -- not a nation anymore, but a homeland.

[Dante3]

I didn't see flags in our neighborhood. But I sure saw a lot of flags and expressions of patriotism in DC as thousands and thousands of members of the Rolling Thunder came to town. They were from all over the country giving a tribute at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. There was also a group representing France to honor the day. It's unfortunate that this did not get adequate media coverage.

[Wright is right!]

All four of OUR flags are still flying, and the local Home Depot has just put out a fresh display of quality flags for sale. They seem to be moving briskly.

Our year-round Christmas tree in the living room (more of a celebration tree during other seasons) just got a fresh decor of star-spangled ornaments and garland, and we've put up a beautiful red-white-blue ribbon display on the front door. My wife is in charge of the seasonal displays, and she does a wonderful job.

She's really cute, too!

Michael

[astounded]

Mine has been hanging over the front door since September 12th, 2001 and will not come down - ever. I too have noticed that, with the prominent exceptions of local tradesmen who often have 2-3 flags per truck, the flags have largely disappeared from autos, SUVs, and other vehicles. What a sad, sad commentary on Americans - and very frightening to think that we cannot focus for more than 9 months.

I also am struck by the fact that very few people I talk to seem to realize we are at war - a war against Islam for the survival of the US. When will we wake up to the fact that we are in the midst of the new Crusade?

[3D-JOY]

I have my flag up 24/7. One is on my car and I have numerous pins,scarves, hats,sweaters T-Shirts and even red white and blue shoelaces.

Sometimes I sit in my stars and stripes chair and eat from decorated dishes with matching tablecloth and silverware under the flag lights on the porch.

All this "stuff" is not new since 9-11. My husband is buried at Arlington cemetery and serving our country has always been part of our lives.

I hope those who were stirred after 9-11 will not have to have another attack to again "wake up". Maybe the one year anniversary will be an opportunity for them to proudly "fly the colors" again.

[LavaDog]

When will we wake up to the fact that we are in the midst of the new Crusade?

Be careful! You're not allowed to use the word Crusade it might offend someone who suffered through it. /sarcasm off>

[TatieBug]

Not to worry...I had three small flags on my dash with a patriotic elephant before 911 and since, I've added one on the window...has been replaced 3 times already...and one on the bumper. My house has a big one and just added one in the yard. On my one street during the weekend celebration...every single house was flying their flag...we're out here but you're right, lots of Americans just seem to forget things waaaaaaaay to quickly...God Bless America!

[Chi-townChief]

We've done fairly well with the flags in Chicago's great southwest suburbs. I've flown mine on the house since I moved in back in '83. But, with the warm weather, I've had to remove the flags from the car windows so I can roll them down - my AC hasn't worked in a couple of years. And I've already had to replace an antenna on one of the cars because the flag pulled it off on the expressway.

[Conservative Chicagoan]

At least in Chicago the flags were out and about. Not in the numbers they appeared in after September 11 but certainly more than a year before.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Mine was up. We changed the 4' x 6' footer on Memorial Day -- as we always do -- lowering the storm ravaged one that had survived the Wisconsin winter and replacing it with a brand new one. We also had 2 flags flying on either side of the front door and a red, white, & blue "folk art" wreath made with a flag motif. We fly 2 flags on our roadside mailbox too.

Every town and village around me boasted a main street lined with flags and a parade. The cemetaries around the Wisconsin countryside were full of flags on the grave of every veteran.

I wore red, white, & blue to a bar-be-cue on the holiday, and the hostess used a patriotic theme for her table decorations. There was no sortage of flags on display on Memorial Day. Where do you live???

[archy]

Actually, I saw more of these waving than I did of US Flags. For a while there, I thought the Mexicans had taken over.

But that's not scheduled to take place until next year. Maybe for Cinco de Mayo, Conoces?

-archy-/-

[Corin Stormhands]

DURING MEMORIAL DAY weekend what occurred to me was that I saw virtually no flags.

Mine was up on Monday.

It's currently down because we're having siding put on the house, but it will be back up as soon as they're finished.

[afraidfortherepublic]

...with the prominent exceptions of local tradesmen who often have 2-3 flags per truck, the flags have largely disappeared from autos, SUVs, and other vehicles.

I had to put away the flags that I was flying from the brackets that fit on my car windows. The fabric was very heavy (sewn double) and they would continuously slap on the roof of the car. Not only did it sound awful, my husband was worried that it would eventually wear a hole in the paint.

[Ol' Sox]

The author is invited to come to our neck of the woods in southwest Connecticut. Yes, yes, we are in the blue zone, but my town of Norwalk has plenty of flags flying. The crowds lining the parade route on Memorial Day were three or four deep for its entire mile-long length and EVERY kid had a flag thanks to the local Exchange Club. No apathy here - we lost 35 citizens in the WTC.